


The Keepers' Guidance

by Ruunkur



Series: The Keepers [2]
Category: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:00:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 4,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21876307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruunkur/pseuds/Ruunkur
Summary: You have been invited to a dinner.When you arrive, you're not sure that you're going to make it out alive.
Series: The Keepers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575967
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's really no explanation for this, other than maybe some boredom at work.
> 
> And vagueness, cause I like vagueness.

You stare down at the table set for twenty four.

The placements were perfect, the center pieces were lovely and you stood at the head of the table, hands behind your back.

In the back of your mind, you know that no one will ever sit in those chairs, sit at the table with _you_ , of all people.

But, still, you stalk up and down the table, pausing to make the slightest of adjustments. You turn when you heard something clatter to the ground and you frown.

You walk over to the fallen plate, picking it up and looking at it every which way. For a moment, you think it’s fine and then you see the crack running through the center. With a sigh, you place it back in your spot and pull out the seat, taking it.

Your eyes roam over the empty seats, the letters on eleven of the twenty three empty seats. You think, just for a moment, that maybe this time would be different. You wouldn’t be alone, but you know no one will walk through those doors and greet you.

***

You sit for some time at the table, watching the emptiness as the seconds tick by. The knock on the door stirs you and you stand, adjusting your cloak and striding towards the entrance of the great hall. With a glance upwards, you could see the moon filtering in through the great window panes.

“Welcome.”

You open the door with a flourish, looking at the faces of them with a smile on your own.

It was true, you hadn’t expected them to come, but come they did.

All of them, looking at you in confusion.

How many years has it been since you last saw them? How many years had passed under the guise of keeping silent watch over the world?

Still, you usher them into the door and close it with a soft shut as you stand before the small group. They were as you remember them, though they looked older in their years.

“Welcome, once more, to the gate keeper’s domain.”

The words echo as you speak them and you give each of the chosen in turn a smile. It was something akin to that of a predator, seeking out the prey in the midst of the group.

They all shuffle as you lead them to the dining hall, taking your seat at the head of the table. The eleven, the friends that you once knew so well, each exchanged a glance.

But, they wouldn’t have known that you knew them, not yet. They were different, from the first time you had gathered in the domain of the gate keeper. The world between worlds, the world that none dared walk.

None save the one that was chosen.

“Can you tell us why we’re here?”

The first to speak, the oldest of the gathered, draws your attention and you smile. When you noticed they haven’t all taken their seats, you gesture a hand for them to do so.

“All will be revealed in time. Dinner awaits. Sit, to the side that does not have a letter. Sit, eat, and we will discuss what you came here for, when the highest point of the longest night has been reached.”

They each glance at each other, but they take their seats, everyone eyeing the letters next to them.

Good, it would be random and they couldn’t blame you for selecting one above the others.

You clap your hands and silence falls over the group. Eleven people, five to your right and six on your left. You wonder, briefly, what ill winds of fate decided that tonight would be the night a new keeper would be chosen.

As the silence weighs down on you, several creatures come out, bringing platters and trays. You nod in agreement to the digimon, thanking them in your own way.

When you turn your attention back to the others, you smile and nod, gesturing for them to eat. They only start eating after you take a bite of your own food.

“How have you been?” you ask, in hopes of starting up a conversation that you know would peter out without any pushing.

They all glanced at each other, the woman with red hair looking up at you. Her eyes were sharp, taking in every detail and you smile.

“What are we doing here?” she asks and your smile widens.

“Have you heard of the Keepers?”

The question brings the table into a hushed silence, not even the clatter of silverware drawing your attention. They had begun eating, something that you nodded in agreement.

“They’re… a sort of myth, aren’t they?” the youngest woman asked, brushing brown hair out of her face.

You let out a hum, your gaze dropping to the others on the table. “What do you know of the Keepers?”

One of the younger ones -really, you should remember their names but they just faded so easily- looked up at you, clearing his throat. “There were… twelve Keepers, at one time. Over the years, it became just one.”

You nod, folding your hands in front of you. “You eleven have answered a call, one that has been ingrained in you for years. A Keeper falls and a new Keeper must rise in their place.”

“Then, you’re the keeper?” the guy next to the brown haired woman fiddles with his fork, swallowing down a bite of food.

“I am the current Keeper, yes.”

The news is met with silence and you tilt your head. Really, you had spent too long in the world between worlds. Too long to remember when the last time anyone showed up. The darkness filtered in further, descending itself towards the table.

“And this is to choose another Keeper?” Hikari -yes, that was her name, Hikari of the Light- asked.

You nod. “A new keeper must be chosen, that is true. Years ago, long in a future unbidden, twelve children were chosen to venture into a world that would be beyond their wildest imagination. Twelve children, over the course of several hundred seconds and just as many years, ventured into this world and learned, gaining powers and partners, gaining trauma and hardship.

“These twelve, even after they parted ways, were touched in a way that no one could explain. They were tainted, but they held power.”

You pause, your words ghosting and hanging in the air. The digimon had brought out the second course, but everyone was silent, unmoving.

“These twelve, as they died and before they were born, were granted a power and they turned to the world between worlds. The place where none should tread but where they were called. Guardians, keepers. They were called many things. Monsters, protectors, creatures of the light and angels of the dark. I am the last of the twelve Keepers. The last and yet the first.”

Mimi let out a laugh, brushing hair out of her face. It was pink, the same pink it had been dyed the last time you saw her, so far in the future.

The bell struck twelve and you smiled. “Years and years ago, twelve people were chosen to be fighters. To protect the world. Eleven made it out alive. A twelfth was reborn as the Keepers died. He was the one that watched, while time passed.”

They glanced at each other. None of this was something they knew. History had rewritten their fights, their victories, and your death. You were nothing more than a myth.

“So, what are we here for?” Taichi asked, raising his gaze and pinning it on you.

You wave a hand, gesturing towards the door. “We are to choose the next guardian. Next to you, there is a letter. Pick it up and we will begin.”


	2. Light

When you pick up the letter, you feel a flash of cold and then warmth spread across your body. The warmth of a summer afternoon, the cold of a winter’s day. The feelings warred inside of you before they settled and you looked at the script in front of you.

_There are many things a Keeper can speak of when it comes to Light. Is it not what wards away the darkness of a child’s nightmare? The feeling of unease that will spread across a winter’s night? The feel of being watched when walking home at night._

_Light is something all mankind needs. There are many others that speak to this nature, but none hold it true as you do. Even now, when you have far been gone from your powers, you bleed the light like it was your personal sun._

_Keep that warmth held tight. There is a Keeper that walks among you, but the light does not shine on you. For a Keeper’s job is one that takes place in Darkness. The Darkness is where all dark things stay that the Keeper slays._

_Close your eyes and count until you’re home again._

The paper flutters from your hands and you stare at your bedroom wall. You could have sworn, just moments ago, you were elsewhere. A summons had come, requesting your presence. You wear a gown of silver and pink, long and flowing, the sleeves draping from your wrists. A princess in your own right, you had thought to attend to the summons.

Now, you sit with no memory of returning. But, that’s okay, you think to yourself as you stand to get undressed.

There was a Darkness out there that you didn’t want to fight. You were happier here, where the light could be summoned whenever you needed it and where you couldn’t be summoned into a dark hall if you did not wish.

Light was your domain and you live in it, happier and happier every day as your kingdom prospers with you at their helm.

One more turn of the wheel, before the Keepers are summoned again. One more life to live, before you face Darkness again.


	3. Knowledge

There’s an odd feeling as you lift the letter and break the seal. You look at the others, each reading their own letter, and you shiver. The urge to ask them what they say, ask the Keeper what they’re meant for, is overridden by your desire to know what your note claims.

_Humans have fought over and over for the battle of knowledge. There is much that is hidden, but the Keeper pursues it all. Are you the one to spend countless hours prowling and searching?_

_Or, with all the knowledge at your fingertips, will you be driven mad?_

_Knowledge is a dangerous thing, with more and more of it coming abundant. With each stride forward, humanity draws closer to forgetting the root of it all. The world between worlds hides the most knowledge. Once, the Keepers fought._

_Now, they hide away and watch. Let it be known that your quest for Knowledge will always be dampened by the Darkness that lurks in the heart of every person. Close your eyes and wonder what you don’t know._

When you opened your eyes, you found you had fallen asleep at your desk. It was not an uncommon thing to happen, but you could have sworn you had seen between the worlds. The place that held everything you could ever want.

Even in your empire, in your quest to know the most, you know that there are things that you miss every day. You struggle to understand the most knowable knowledge, the further you wander from your own humanity.

But, in the end, you truly don’t mind. You gain more and more knowledge every day.


	4. Courage

You look at the letter, unease growing in your stomach. You had always been one to run head first into things. Now, as you hesitate, you wonder what would happen. Before you, you could see the others, each with their nose in their own letter.

You wonder, as you pick up yours, if the Keeper had known where you would be sitting, or if the letters had only written themselves once you had sat down.

_With a warrior’s cry, you make your way into the battle. There is little that you remember, before the end of times. For you, there is only one battle after another. Whether it be against a human foe or one of their forces that falls in from between the lines._

_In your heart, you know that courage will only get you so far. You train, every day, with the idea that it might be your last. Your soldiers look upon you in amazement, for you never seem to lose the ability to fight. You put your all into it._

_Return home, knowing that your blade will shine as a beacon for those around you. You do not belong to the Darkness, not yet._

You can see the training grounds before you, the morning a confusing mess. You were so certain that you had somewhere to be, dressed in one of your better suits. Now, though, as you trudge back up to your home, you wonder if maybe it was a mistake.

Or if you had gotten the date wrong.

But you had been so sure.


	5. Sincerity

You had dedicated your life to saving people, that’s what you always told yourself as you sat at this table and listened to the speaker. You pick up your letter first, breath catching as you watch the script on the paper, hoping the words were wrong.

_There is little that you, alone, can do against the Darkness. You have the Sincerity that many yearn for and you help those in need. You strive to do your best and you do what you need._

_However, that is not what the darkness needs. Now, you will return and you will do it lovingly, for there are those that are waiting. It would not do to let them wait, for each second longer you hold this note._

_Let it go and remember, being true to your heart is what is needed the most. Believe that you can change the world and you will._

You let the note flutter, blinking as you’re sitting at your desk once more. The past several hours were a blur, your heart aching. This was the world you knew, your own darkness that you fought against each day.

And each day, you attempted to make it brighter.


	6. Purity

It’s the smell of freshly fallen snow. That was what you thought when you sat at the table and listened to the Keeper speak. His words were kind and bright, darkness lingering under each statement. Now, as you pick up your letter, you wonder.

_There is much to say about fallen snow. It stains easily, but leaves behind a brightness known can deny. Even in the dark, it can be blinding._

_But, are you enough to hold the darkness on your own? Can you search deep inside yourself and ask if you truly want to be a Keeper for time on end? If the answer is no, none would blame you. It would be better if you were true to yourself._

_Close your eyes and think of home. Of all the things you would miss. The best thing about you, about your Purity, is you don’t hide your wishes. Return home and think on the darkness, but do not let it scare you. For, in the darkest times, people will look to you to be their truth in the dark._

It was strange, you think, as you set the letter down and shake your head. You sit in the library, back straight, with more letters waiting for you. You’re dressed, hair styled, ready to attend something important, but now you don’t remember what it is.

And, for once, you think that’s okay. You can allow yourself time to be yourself and to relax. It would be good, you think, to know that everything will be okay. That you are strong enough to keep your head above water and ensure that your family is brought to safety.

That is all you wanted, in the end.

Safety.


	7. Love

Your hands burn as you pick up your letter and you almost want to drop it. You want to run from the meeting. It hadn’t even been your idea to come, but you had felt compelled to come, anyway.

_They say that love is the hardest thing for a person to understand of another person. A keeper has to know everyone in order to understand what they are protecting. Inside you, there burns a desire to love and be loved, but it is hidden._

_Have the Keepers, the true Keepers, fallen into darkness themselves? Can you look around the table and state that you know everyone there? Of course not, for it has been years since the Keepers last stood together._

_Take heart in knowing that the Darkness of Knowing everyone is not the task that you bare, not in this cycle. Return home and keep your heart close to you._

The paper is dropped and you understand why you had been feeling heat. The fire dances before you, growing larger than smaller as the people meander and speak with each other. The festival of Light had begun.

And you stood, ready to take the leap.


	8. Friendship

You had argued with going to the dinner, the invitation sitting heavy on your dresser. Until you picked it up that night and been transported there. You didn’t believe the man’s words about the Keepers, but you understand now.

_They say that the hardest person to befriend is the one who wants the most friends. The one who guards against false friends and the one who yearns for it. Remember, you can step into the friendship of another and destroy it just as easily._

_A friendship is something to cherish and hold close._

_You cannot stand against the darkness on your own. Gather those that you see before you, assure yourself that your friendship holds strong, and the darkness will be swayed and turned away. Until that time, return home and stand by those that you know._

You didn’t have many friends.

That was the first thought as you sat on your bed, overlooking the cobbled street. It was dark, the lamps being lit by a passing stranger. This was the comfort you took in, as you lean out the window and watch the world pass you by.

Night had been your mistress and this night was young.

Friends could come later.


	9. Passion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Passion stands for Miyako.

You knew that there was a burning desire to be out of there, to get into a fight that you weren’t sure about. You always took to new ideas like a seal to water. Now, as you pick up the letter, you feel your stomach turn.

_There is a fire in you that will burn bright until it eats you. In the darkest of nights, it will hold the darkness at bay, but it will consume you if you do not learn to curb it._

_It is not your turn to take up the mantle, but you are warned. Without a path forward, there will be darkness at all sides. A war is coming, one that will not satisfy to have a single Keeper at arms._

_But, until that time, return home. Learn to curb your passion and learn to tamper it and turn it into something worthwhile. You are a bright flame and darkness is attracted to the flame that burns too brightly._

_Go with caution, but be not scared._

The words haunted you as you prepared for your day. Another day of school, of learning something new. It was exciting to know that you were studying something that no one else had before the founders came to be.

You were ready, ready for the passion to consume you and take you to great heights.

But, as you remember the darkness and cold in your dreams, you remember.

Caution would be the object that holds you tight.


	10. Patience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Patience for Iori.

You watch as others read, their expressions growing still. Amidst all the dinner, you pick up your own letter, opening it.

_The rock can be worn down by the strongest waves. Know that there is something in you, something strong, that cannot be destroyed._

_But that is only if you keep it close to you. Without that patience, you will eat yourself alive. Be silent when needed, be soft spoken when possible, but do not forget to defend against the Darkness._

_Now, there are too many moving parts, but soon the Darkness will need a warrior who can be patient incarnate. One day, you will stand before it and you will know that you have come home._

You agree with the words that are spoken. Just like all the great masters before you, you find your solitude in the patience of the world.

It was one of the reasons you enjoyed the peaceful, late nights. Sitting among the stars and watching as the darkness turned.

You were a rock, waiting for its moment.


	11. Kindness

You had waited for this moment for years. You weren’t sure when it was going to happen, but you waited. You had been the last of the original Keepers to fall, and the first to see the new Guardian.

Now, you reach out, plucking up the letter and holding your breath.

_There are many words I wish I could write to you. Your kindness and your waiting, your love for the one that was torn apart, had kept me through the years. Waiting to see you again, it was like a dream come true._

_I only wish we had more time together._

_The darkness is strong and I am fading. Find the Kindness to accept that the past is there. It is waiting in a distant future, waiting for a time where we can be kids once more. A kind word goes a long way. Return to your home and rest easy, knowing that there is kindness in your kingdom, abundant and plain._

You wake from the dinner as if in a dream. It had been confusing, but you thought you had seen the face of one that had faded so long ago from memory. Now, it shuffles itself in with the other memories, one that did not make sense.

As you stand and look out your window, you smile.

The bright dawn would be good to step into.

You were home, even with the pain burning bright.


	12. Perseverance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perseverance for Daisuke

When you look around the hall, you realize that you are the last one there. You pick up the letter, turning it over in your hands. But your gaze rests on the Keeper, the silent watcher of the whole charade.

The ten that had joined you look like they came from all walks of life, from all over the timeline. The Keeper raises a hand, shaking his head.

“You have Persevered to the end, for that you are chosen.”

When you stare at him, the blond haired man just smiles.

“Daisuke, there was a drawing. Twelve of us, brought together in one timeline, to fight and protect our world. One day, there will be a time again when we all walk the same path. For now, we keep the world between worlds protected, we keep the balance.”

You just shake your head, uncertain of what to say. You understand him, understand the memories that are filtering back into your brain. Of the night that you had watched a loved one die as you tried in vain to protect him.

“Is this the end, then?” you ask.

The Keeper just smiled. “It is the end for me. I have upheld my duty. The doors behind me where lead you deeper into the world, into the labyrinth that you will protect. Persevere through the Darkness and the light will guide you once more.”

“Will we meet again?”

You aren’t sure when you stood, but you’re walking towards him now. The first Keeper of the Worlds, the last of your kind.

“We will, in a distant past. We will meet when the Digital and the Human world collide. You will know when your post is done. Goodbye, Daisuke.”

He took your hand while he spoke and he kissed your fingers, before dropping it and picking up the last letter. He turned it over his hands before he opened it.

As he read the words, you wondered what was written on them, but the pain quickly washed the thought away.

Pain of knowing the barrier against true Darkness was in your hands.

You were truly alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what was this, exactly?
> 
> Boredom from work?
> 
> Fuck if I really know. The first chapter of this was written prior to the first in this series. Take this as a three hour attempt at killing boredom at work. Though, I really might expand on this later. The idea of a Keeper, a watcher of the world between worlds, watching over us all and the kids that had been chosen had a job more than fighting for the digital world?
> 
> That sounds fun.


End file.
